Stay By My Side
by LyingRavenEyes
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has been in correspondence with an unknown guy who's been helping her through life all these years. He's the strength that she confides in for advice. After being nagged by her best friend, Natsu, into becoming his basketball team's manager, she has to deal with their sadistic and arrogant coach, Sting Eucliffe-who's also actually her gentle confidant. {StiCy}
1. Chapter 1

**Stay by My Side**

**Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has been in correspondence with an unknown guy who's been helping her through life all these years. He's the strength that she confides in for advice. Her best friend, Natsu Dragneel, has been nagging her to become his basketball team's manager. When she agrees, she has to deal with their brilliant yet sadistic and arrogant basketball coach who's still in college, Sting Eucliffe. It just so happens that this conceited young coach with a dark past is also her gentle confidant.**

**Rated: T**

**Genres: Romance, Friendship**

**Pairings: StiCy (main), NaLi, Jerza, Gruvia, GaLe**

**Background: Lucy and her friends are in tenth grade. Most of them are sixteen. I'm planning on making Sting twenty. **

**A/N: This is my first fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it. Please PM me if you have any questions. I uploaded my profile picture, but it's probably not showing. Oh, well. **

* * *

**Chapter 1: SS**

"LUSHEE!"

I clapped my hands over my ears as my best friend, Natsu Dragneel, raced to my side. Rolling my eyes, I watched as the pink-haired teen jumped up and down with excitement.

"Hey, Lucy, you know I'm joining the basketball team, right?" he asked impatiently. I could tell he was about to burst if he didn't tell me the good news. I sighed dismissively, laughing at my best friend. He was an eccentric one, that was for sure.

"Yes. So, what happened? I thought you were going to try-outs with Gray and the others." I replied, shifting my backpack.

Natsu snorted at the mention of Gray Fullbuster, his "rival". In truth, they were pretty much best friends despite their little rivalry.

"Well, I did. But Gramps came in and told us that we don't have a coach since the old one just retired. But, he found a new coach. Guess who the new coach is?"

"Gramps" was our affectionate nickname for our diminutive principal of Magnolia Academy, who was actually my grandfather.

Natsu's entire face was red at this point. I half-expected him to start breathing fire. I opened my mouth to inquire who it was, but Natsu interrupted me.

"STING EUCLIFFE! You know, that one guy who was a major basketball player in the high school circuit. He went on to college and is playing college basketball, but he's been looking for a part-time job and Master Makarov hired him!" Natsu continued to babble about Sting's supposed "genius skills".

I chuckled as we walked home together. "Okay, that's great! Magnolia Academy's basketball team will finally win the championship then, eh?" I asked, smiling at my childhood friend.

Natsu grinned widely. "You bet! Especially since I can actually try out this year…"

We continued walking home, chatting about everything we could possibly think about. For a moment, we were silent, thinking about everything that was going on.

Natsu broke the silence, tilting his head. "Hey, Luce, you would make a great basketball manager!"

I paused, playing with the idea. Natsu had always loved basketball. When we were young, he used to play on the streets with the older kids. I would tag along, keeping a vigilant eye on him in case he did anything stupid. Natsu always got in trouble somehow. Since then, I developed sense of the game and an appreciation for it. It was almost like I had an innate ability for creating training menus and finding exactly what skills needed to be polished. In this way, I always helped Natsu improve in basketball. I would never actually play, of course. I threw my passion into volleyball.

"Maybe," I finally answered, my mind racing at the number of training menus I would have to make for an entire team.

Natsu and I, being neighbors, waved at each other from our doorsteps before entering our respective homes. I sighed, throwing my bag down.

"Mom, I'm home!" I announced brightly.

My mother shuffled into the room, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She had obviously just came from the garden. "Welcome home, Lucy," she said, smiling warmly. I grinned back, taking out my cell phone. I stared at the cell phone, and memories flooded into my mind.

* * *

_"Laxus, you can't leave!"_

_Young me was upset beyond comprehension. Why did my older brother have to go all the way across the world for some stupid project? He wouldn't be able to visit because of how busy he would be. He wouldn't even be able to message me at times! Why did he have to leave me?_

_It wasn't fair._

_"Hey, Lucy-chan, don't cry," he said softly, smiling. I didn't even bother to wipe the tears that poured._

_Our father had just died, and now my brother was leaving. My life was in disarray._

_"But it's not fair! Why do you have to leave? I won't have anybody!" I sobbed. I was quite attached to my older brother. When I cried, he was always there for me._

_My brother hugged me. "Hey, Lucy, you're not alone, and I won't be gone forever. You've got Mom and Natsu. And you've got SS, too," he comforted, rubbing my back._

_My eyes widened at the unfamiliar name. "...SS?" I asked in confusion, staring at Laxus. He chuckled, ruffling my blond hair._

_"Yeah, SS. He's a good friend of mine. He'll always be there for you when I'm not there, okay? You can pretty much confide with him about everything. If you don't want me to know, you can tell him. He'll give you advice, too. " He handed me a silver cell phone with pink keys and a golden "L" charm. I had finally stopped crying. "SS...is he nice? Can I actually trust him, onii-san?" I asked quietly._

_"It depends on you," Laxus replied seriously, patting my hand._

_"If you want to talk to him, you can. I won't force you to do anything. I just want you to be able to talk to someone. I can't guarantee I'll be able to come back. Please take care of yourself, all right?"_

_I nodded, grinning. "If it's for onii-chan, I'll be brave!"_

_He flashed a grin. "I'll try to come back. Maybe when I can afford it and all. I don't want to leech off of Mom or Gramps for money, either. If you're brave for me, I'll definitely try to come back." he promised._

_With those parting words, he left me with a new friend._

_SS._

* * *

From then onward, Laxus only visited once every year. I rarely saw him, but each time, he seemed perfectly content.

Every day, I contacted SS. I was wary at first. I mean, he was stranger. Why would I trust him? SS contacted me everyday, giving me advice.

I smiled down at the battered old cell phone in my hand.

Typing, I keyed a new e-mail to SS.

_Hey, SS!_

_Today was pretty normal. Natsu, my baka of a best friend, was talking all about this new basketball coach. He also wants me to be the manager of the team, but I have mixed feelings about that. Besides, I might not even be chosen as manager. (Though I honestly doubt anyone else wants to be manager for a bunch of sweaty boys) After all, I'm really busy._

_I've been having nightmares about Father again. Not my step-father, not Laxus's dad. I'm talking about my real father. In a way, I hate myself. I'm relieved that he died. He was so abusive. I don't really consider myself a human being because I'm glad someone is dead. It's kind of repulsive to think that way, right?_

_I'm sorry you have to deal with a person like me, SS._

_Enough with the negative thoughts. Do you think I should become the basketball manager? I really want to help out Natsu and everyone else on the team. No one else wants to be manager._

_I've got a lot on my plate already, though. Volleyball season has started, and homework has been piling up. There's also the fact that I'm the student council's secretary._

_Sorry to bother you with all of this._

_Thoughts?_

_Yours,_

_Lucy_

I sent the message before working on my homework in the large office room. My mom and I had made it a tradition to listen to quiet piano music while we worked on our own things. My mom was an acclaimed pianist and songwriter. She often wrote songs for new movies or television series, and directors were always waiting anxiously for more of her work.

"Hey, Mom, working on a new song?"

She nodded. "It's for a new show. It's sort of adventurous and action-packed. They're looking for a good theme song." she answered, fiddling with a pen. She played a few notes before scribbling them down on a piece of sheet music.

Mom sighed. "It doesn't sound right. I had an idea, and I've been writing in E flat, but it just doesn't seem right." I glanced at the notes she had written on the sheet music.

"Mom, it sounds good so far," I praised, smiling. She smiled back before turning her concentration on the song.

I played it from beginning to end. "Well, the chorus is good. I think you should change the second part of the accompaniment. See, the note 'G' would probably sound good in place of 'A'. It sounds better, right?"

My mom laughed. "Yeah, it does! I guess I'm too old to be editing my own work. Thanks, Lucy."

She busied herself with the rest of the song, including the lyrics.

I turned to my homework, finishing up most of my individual work around the time my mom finished the lyrics for her song. She played the song while singing for my feedback.

"It's amazing! I think the director will be really impressed with this!" I said, clapping.

She laughed, winking. "Thanks, Lucy. Didn't you say you were going to hang out at the karaoke cafe with your friends today?"

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, that must be them!" I said, racing to the front door. Opening it, I greeted my friends. Lisanna smiled at me. "Hey, Lucy-chan! Erza's in her car with Jellal and Juvia. Gray and Gajeel are getting Natsu right now."

"Lu-chan!"

Levy, another one of my friends part of our group, tackled me with a hug from behind Lisanna. "Aw, I didn't want to go to karaoke today. I thought we were going to work on our Chemistry project together! I was thinking we do the flame test!" she lamented.

I nudged Levy, grinning deviously. "Are you sure? 'Cuz I was pretty sure you were really excited to see a certain delinquent just a few hours ago," I teased.

Lisanna laughed, agreeing. "Yeah, weren't you just going on about how adorable he was?"

Levy blushed cherry red, turning away from us. "Stop being so mean! Besides, Gajeel's too much of an idiot to ever notice my feelings, anyway!" she cried.

Lisanna and I high-fived as we snickered at the flushing girl.

"Mom! I'll be back in an hour at nine-thirty!" I cried.

"Be safe, Lucy! Get a ride from Erza afterwards. And call me!" she hollered back. I gave my affirmative before following a still-blushing Levy and a smug Lisanna.

We piled into Erza's car, laughing and joking around. When we finally arrived at the karaoke cafe, my cell phone pinged.

"Eh? What is it?" Levy questioned curiously.

"Is it another message from your sweet pen pal, SS?"

All eyes turned to the young woman who had said this. "Cana!" we cried.

Cana Alberona winked, joining us at the booth. She squeezed in next to me, peering at my cell phone.

Cana had been at Magnolia Academy before she graduated four years before. She had been the ultimate prankster. She had been part of a rag tag group like our own, who had also all graduated. Laxus, my brother, had been part of Cana's group.

Like everyone else in Laxus's group, Cana was a neighbor. Since Laxus's group and my friends were over at the same time, we actually hung out and got along with each other. The other reason we knew each other so well was because of Master Makarov, Magnolia Academy's principal, better known as Laxus and my grandfather. Gramps had placed all of us in cleaning duty while Laxus and the others were still in high school. We always had to clean up on the weekends. It was tiring, but we got along better because of it.

Yes, we were the cleaning duty people.

Cana was one of the more laid back member's of Laxus's little clique. She was humorous and cool, not to mention gorgeous, too, with her velvet dark brown hair and exotic violet eyes.

"Hey, Cana, what brings you here?" Gray asked casually.

Cana winked, drinking from a flask. Cana was like an older sister to all of us, and she wasn't afraid to be "mature" around us.

I rolled my eyes at the thought. Cana was anything but mature.

"Oh, I just got off of work earlier, so I decided to find you brats. Being a fashion magazine editor is actually tiring," Cana explained, sighing.

She leaned back before snapping out of her sleep. "Enough about me. Did you check what your precious SS wrote?"

I blushed. "Hey, shut up, Cana. It's my own private stuff, so butt out. You, too, Levy! I'm going to check it later."

I buried my cell phone in my pocket.

Cana stuck her tongue out at me childishly, eliciting a giggle from me. She stood up, waving her arms grandly. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, then I'm going to karaoke!" she announced pompously.

A dark look passed her eyes as she grinned evilly. "Okay, brats, who should I duet with today?"

All of us shrunk back.

Cana cackled. "Okay, Jellal, your turn!"

The usually composed bluenette suddenly paled. "Cana, it's really all right...I don't want to sing that badly...I heard Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel talking about how excited they were about singing, though!" he said desperately.

Cana glanced at Gajeel. "No offense, dude, but no one can deal with your singing," Cana deadpanned.

The entire table burst out laughing at Gajeel's expense. He glared.

"Fine. Challenge accepted. Levy, let's have a duet face-down with those two!" Gajeel said, his eyes narrowed.

Levy moaned in despair. "No! Gajeel, don't drag me into this!" she screamed.

I laughed, pushing her out of the booth. "Go on with your dear love," I cooed. She sent me a dirty look before stomping onto the stage with Gajeel.

No one survived Gajeel's singing.

* * *

When most of us finally stopped screaming and running away from the karaoke cafe, we walked back to Erza's car, laughing at the ordeal.

We met Gajeel, who was waiting at the car with a permanent scowl etched into his features. "You all are just rude. Can't deal with my amazing singing," he huffed, his arms crossed.

Juvia tried sympathizing with her childhood best friend. "Gajeel, it's okay to be bad at singing! You're good at plenty of other things."

Gray bit back a laugh. "Yeah, like scaring the hell out of birds when you sing," he commented. Gray and Natsu laughed together, high-fiving.

Juvia frowned. "Gray-sama, that wasn't called for," she scolded. Gray raised his hands up. "Okay, okay, sorry."

Levy cleared her throat. "Um, Gajeel, you don't have to be so upset about it. Everyone has faults. Gray's a stripper."

Right when she said this, Gray lost his shirt.

"Gray, your shirt," Levy called flatly.

"Oh, shit!" he cried. Juvia, meanwhile, was having a nosebleed from "her lovely Gray-sama".

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. Cana was watching all of us, a soft smile on her face. I tilted my head. Usually, Cana would have actively participated in the teasing. I shook my head ignoring the thought. Cana was probably just exhausted from work.

"See?" Levy said, gesturing at Gray.

Gajeel grunted, patting Levy's head. "Thanks, shrimp," he said.

Levy became indignant. "Hey! No need to call me offensive nicknames regarding my height!" she yelled. The two began to bicker, but Levy didn't see a rare and real smile on Gajeel's face. The rest of us noticed, and we couldn't help sharing smirks and happy smiles.

"Think we're going to have a new couple soon?" Lisanna quipped.

Cana nodded, smirking. "Twenty bucks says next week."

"Tomorrow," Erza disagreed.

"A month. Gajeel's too chicken to ask her out," Jellal said, laughing.

Erza rolled her eyes. "What about you? It took you nearly a year to finally ask me out," Erza accused, jabbing a finger at her boyfriend. I chuckled at Jellal's nervous expression. Erza was one girl you did not want to piss off.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat at a fast food restaurant, we said our goodbyes. Erza dropped me off in front of my house, waving.

I entered my house after the car ride, humming. As soon as I returned, I opened the e-mail from SS.

_Lucy,_

_I think taking up a new job would take your mind off of your deceased father, but please don't overwork yourself. Don't worry about your father so much. If you need anyone to be there for you, I'll be there._

_A way to get over the nightmares—think about something happy, or listen to calming music. You can always talk to me, too. I'll try my best to message you back._

_I'm glad to see you're happy right now. It seems you and Natsu are getting along very well, as usual. How have you been getting along with your other friends? Your onii-san was always complaining about how much his own friends loved to worship him. Especially Freed. I'm sure you've met him. Cana loved to tease Laxus about it. _

_Yes, I'm pretty sure no one would like to manage a group of sweaty basketball freaks. But you never know. Since you believe you're the only one, I'm sure the new coach would appreciate your help. _

_Lucy, you aren't disgusting. You're an incredible person, and I want you to know that. There is no other person who I would want to be able to protect. I know your brother and mother are proud of you, too. You're brave, strong, and stubborn, and don't ever forget who you truly are. You should be proud of yourself. I'm proud of you._

_It might seem stupid for me to say, but this is definitely true. If you ever doubt yourself again, please remember that I'll be there for you._

_I think it would be great for you to take on some more activities as long as you're not swamped. It depends all on you. I understand how much you love basketball even if you don't play. Natsu and your other friends on the basketball team would also be grateful for your help. Good luck. _

_If you have any troubles, don't hesitate to message me._

_Take care._

_-SS_

I smiled softly as I flipped my phone shut.

SS was always giving me good advice. Laxus had been right. If I had told him about my troubles, he would have tried to protect me. He wouldn't have completely allowed me to make my own decisions since we were closely related.

SS was an outsider. He was a stranger who I didn't know. In a way, he gave the best kind of advice because he was a stranger. He protected me, yet he allowed me to have my own freedom and choice.

I smiled to myself. SS was like my guardian angel. He was always at my side, even though he wasn't physically there.

* * *

**A/N: That's all! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please support this story. Questions? Concerns? Feel free to review or PM me. Also, if you have any ideas or different pairings, please tell me. I'm pretty sure this story will stay StiCy, though.**

**BTW, "SS" was friends with Laxus, so that's how he knows about Cana and Freed. I'm not sure if that was clear enough. **

**If there are any mistakes, please comment about it.**

**Thanks!**

**Yours, **

**LYING**


	2. Chapter 2

**Stay By My Side**

**A/N: I apologize for any confusion. Everything about Lucy's father and Sting's past will be revealed in future chapters. Thank you so much for the reviews and following/favoriting. All of you are wonderful and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I regret that this wasn't Nalu, but I have my reasons. Sting's personality has an important purpose for the story, and I can't imagine Natsu being sadistic and rude.**

**Again, thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. (4, 709 words, not including the A/N!)**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Laxus Enthusiast and the Weird Doll Collector**

_SS,_

_Thanks for the reply. I'm going to take the offer of manager. That means a lot more work for me._

_Yay! Not._

_I hope all is well for you. Thinking about what you said, I'm just going to look at the positives in my life and try to somewhat ignore my past. You might be trying to convince me that I'm not evil, but I'm probably the biggest evil there is—besides actual murderers, of course._

_I don't deserve to message someone as caring as you. You're the best, SS!_

_Whatever. So, Gajeel and Levy—those friends of mine who are denser than even Natsu—might be on the verge of dating. Cana betted a week. I think their romance might take a couple of months. Gajeel isn't slow and careful, but I know he doesn't want to mess up with Levy._

_Erza and Jellal are doing well, too. Oh, I forgot. Yesterday, we met up with Cana at the karaoke cafe. She's as crazy as ever. She was teasing me about always e-mailing you. Yesterday, she seemed a bit out of it, too, after karaoke and seeing Gajeel and Levy all lovey-dovey. Do you know what's wrong? I know you weren't really part of Laxus and Cana's group, but you were still close to them, right? Sometimes I wonder if you're really Freed, Bixlow, or Laxus himself. You could even be one of Cana's drinking buddies._

_Well, I'm getting along wonderfully with my friends. Natsu's been coming over a lot, too. I think it has something to do with helping him with basketball. He's been badgering me about new exercises and tips to help him._

_I'm feeling pretty happy today. The sun's out and shining, and I can't wait for the anime convention in a couple of months. All of my friends should be attending. Maybe you should come, too?_

_What am I asking? I'm grateful that you're always there for me. I don't need to know who you are._

_Thank you for everything._

_I'll always message you if I'm in trouble._

_You're amazing!_

_Yours,_

_Lucy_

_P.S. Like the photo?_

Sting Eucliffe was lighting a cigarette when his cell phone pinged from a new message. Taking it in hand, he opened it to reveal Lucy's morning e-mail. His lips quirked up into a smile as he read the teenager's e-mail. He studied the picture of Lucy hugging a stuffed frog with messy bed hair and her signature pink PJ's. It made her seem even cuter.

He shook his head at the sentences of praise she sent him. He wasn't good or wonderful. He'd killed, and he definitely wasn't proud of it. Laughing painfully, he wondered how Lucy would react if she knew who he truly was.

A lying, hurtful, deceitful little shit.

It would kill Lucy if she ever knew the truth about SS. Her sweet, wonderful SS. For that reason, he kept it a secret. He needed to continue protecting her.

Sting was still wondering why Laxus had entrusted her in him. He was the worst possible option for an innocent and impressionable girl like her.

He had also actually agreed to become her high school basketball team's coach, even when he learned she would be the manager.

"I can still change my mind," he said to himself, thinking.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Lucy was always depending on SS. Sting would have to protect her with everything he had. He wouldn't mind personally checking up on her, too.

His phone started buzzing. The caller ID flashed, showing the words "disgusting hag" with a picture of Cana Alberona. Sting would normally ignore her calls. After all, she knew he was SS. She knew about his thoughts of Lucy. Today was not a normal day, and he was feeling surprisingly giving.

"Yo, stupid kid," she said as soon as he picked up.

"Shut up, gross, old hag," he replied with a snort. Cana and Sting were drinking buddies, along with Macao and Wakaba. While some mistook their relationship as something more, both of them knew they were definitely friends. Cana was four years older, and she always dated older guys. Besides, Sting and Cana viewed each other as lovable and annoying siblings.

"Perverted asshole." she retorted.

"Retarded drunk." he shot back.

"Gravure-adoring moron." she returned with ease.

"Weird slut," he finally said after a moment.

Cana paused. "Hey, that's rude, baka. I've been dating Bacchus for a whole year! Don't say I'm cheating. Yeah, that's right. We might even get married!"

There was silence before both burst out laughing. "No way in _hell_ will you get married," Sting replied in between snorts.

Bacchus Groh was Cana's twenty-eight year-old boyfriend who was an extreme alcoholic just like her. He was also extremely perverted—again, in a way, him and Cana were very similar. They'd both first met while having a drinking contest.

"Cana, your boyfriend is the perverted one," he said, laughing.

Cana chuckled. "Yeah, I know..." Her voice suddenly became serious. "Look, Sting, I know what Lucy told SS. Are you sure you'll be able to keep your identity a secret even if you're at the same school as her? You'll be interacting with her a lot. Lucy's a smart girl. She might figure it out..."

"And then she'll be absolutely crushed when she realizes exactly who I am and what I've done,," Sting finished, his teeth clenched.

Cana sighed. "In a perfect world, you would be Lucy's gentle and beautiful SS. You wouldn't have been such a troubled kid. Don't you think it would be best if you just stayed as far away as possible from Lucy to prevent her from finding out about your true identity?"

The blond man fell silent.

It was surprising how much a man like him cared for Lucy. He'd known her when they were younger, but Lucy obviously didn't remember.

Sting had tried everything to hide his past. His father had been a big yakuza leader, and that was why Sting had been trained and brought up in such a way. There was so much that Lucy didn't know. Laxus had been the first to discover who Sting truly was. It didn't take long before the other friends of Laxus knew. They seemed like a fairly ordinary bunch, but Laxus and his friends had dealt with a lot of bad criminals. Laxus, Cana, Mirajane, Bixlow, Freed, and the Connells They'd been the ones who pulled Sting out of his inescapable ditch. They'd helped him leave his father's dealings with a great deal of trouble.

"Lucy doesn't know. I want to keep it that way until I have to tell her. For now, please continue keeping my secret. I'm gonna go to her school. Just stay out of it. I'll deal with it myself." Sting finally answered carefully before ending the call.

He stared at Lucy's e-mail again.

_I hate myself. I'm lying about everything to Lucy._

* * *

I jumped out of my bed after sending SS the e-mail, looking forwards to a new day. Usually, I was always grumpy and depressed in the morning, allowing SS to cheer me up with a stupid joke or a remark about something embarrassing about Laxus.

Quickly washing up and changing into my uniform, I grabbed my organized backpack, cell phone, and the novel I had been reading, which had been suggested by Levy.

I walked downstairs to see Natsu already eating breakfast with Mom. Natsu lived with his father who was normally on business trips. The two Dragneels got along amazingly well, but they never really spent much time together. Natsu's parents had separated, and his mother had taken his adorable younger sister, Wendy, with them.

Because he was mostly away, Natsu often ate with us. We were pretty much family.

"Mornin', Luce!" he greeted with a wide, toothy grin.

I smiled. "Hey, Natsu. Good morning, Mom!" I said in a cheery tone.

My mom greeted me back with equal vigor, busy scribbling down something in a notebook. "Lucy, I've been having a lot of meetings since I've been teaming up with other songwriters. Please stay over at a friend's these next few week. You, too, Natsu."

"Would it be fine if we went to Cana's? Her apartment's closest to our house," I asked. Mom smiled. She adored Cana, but I wasn't exactly sure why.

"Of course. But make sure you two check in with her," Mom replied.

Natsu shook his head. "Nah. I'll crash at Gray's today. You and Cana can talk about your girly relationships and crap," he said in a grudging way. I raised an eyebrow. "Natsu, what's this about?"

He pushed away from the table and walked off in an irritated manner.

Mom's lips tugged into an entertained smile, as if she were watching some kind of soap opera and were laughing at the pure idiocy of the in-love characters.

"Mom," I warned, knowing she would probably go on to talk about my best friend having a crush on me. Just the thought made me really confused. Natsu would never want to date me. I was pretty sure he didn't even know what the term "date" meant.

"Alright," she said, sighing heavily.

I finished up my breakfast before walking to school with Natsu. I quickly called Cana to check if I could stay with her for awhile. She immediately agreed, promising she wouldn't invite any "guy friends" over.

"Hey, Natsu, can you tell me what's wrong?" I asked curiously as our shoes slapped against pavement. The pinkette grunted in a way that reminded me of Gajeel.

"Why are you acting in such an obscene manner?" I asked in an exasperated tone. "You're never like this, you know? Why the sudden change?"

He was silent as I tried to get his attention. I made hilarious imitations of him, wrapping my head in my pink jacket and making a "fired up" facial expression.

"I'm a pink-haired baka who likes to talk about basketball and video games!" I shouted, waving my hands.

"Luce, it's salmon, not pink!" he cried, defending his hair.

I laughed. "And I'm overly sensitive about how people interpret the color of pink hair!" I continued with my act of Natsu.

Natsu grabbed me cheek, squishing it. I wasn't able to speak as he moved my head back and forth. My complaints came out garbled.

"Sorry I'm acting weird, Luce," he said softly, releasing my now-red cheek. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

I stared in surprise. Did something bad happen?

"It's just...I have this huge crush on someone, and she doesn't realize it. She's really pretty and kind and I just really wish she noticed…and she calls me dense!" he ranted on about how annoyed he was about the situation.

I lit up. Lisanna and Natsu were getting closer lately, and Lisanna always talked about how dense Natsu was. It was probably Lisanna! Lisanna was also known as the nicest girl in school, and everyone got along with him.

"Oh, it's Lisanna, right?" I asked excitedly. I couldn't wait to have two more of my friends hooked up together.

Natsu was extremely pale, probably from my guessing correctly.

I grinned widely. "Of course! Why didn't I notice? You two would make such a great couple."

He grinned weakly. "Yeah, wouldn't we?"

I nodded, eager to support my best friend. "I'll be supporting you all the way! Don't be afraid to go for it. I bet Lisanna has a crush on you, too," I encouraged.

My best friend agreed. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it? It could be a possibility."

He hesitated. "But, Luce, I don't-"

"LU-CHAAAANNNN!" Levy flew in from behind us, embracing me. She was surprisingly strong for such a small girl.

"Oh, Lu-chan, I have so much to tell you! You won't believe what happened with Gajeel yesterday!" she said enthusiastically, her face flushed from excitement.

I nodded, truly thrilled for my friend. "He asked you out, right?"

Levy looked slightly downcast before she perked up again. "No, but I have a really strong belief that he might like me!"

"That's awesome! Hey, wait, Natsu, did you have something to say?" I questioned, referring to his unfinished sentence.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Hey, no worries," he said with a tooth-filled grin, "It wasn't important anyway." He turned to talk to Jellal.

Levy and I walked to our first class, Japanese. She started to tell me the occurrence between her and Gajeel.

"So, I told him that Jet confessed to me yesterday. Well, he did. I was really sorry to turn him down, and-"

"Not as sorry as you are now! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I screeched, berating her with angry claims.

"Lu-chan, I really am sorry! Please forgive me!" she cried.

I composed myself again as a group of unnerved freshman passed us. I flashed a disarming smile.

They all ran away screaming like I was a monster.

"Why did they run away?" I sobbed pitifully.

Levy giggled. "Maybe it was because of that scary aura you were emitting. I thought you were going to kill me, Lu-chan!"

I pouted. "Levy-chan, I'm not that scary, am I?"

My blue-haired friend rolled her eyes, pushing me into our classroom. "Lu-chan, when you're mad, you're scarier than Gajeel when he sings," she replied.

"Ouch, that was hurtful!" I whined. How could I be as scary as Gajeel when he sings?

"Nope, my brain disagrees. I think you're much scarier than both of us combined when you're fangirling over Gajeel or one of your OTPs." I said.

Levy squealed. "I was reading this new book, and-"

"Stop reading so many racy romances," I teased.

Levy blushed. "They are most definitely not racy romances! Only Erza reads those. Besides, my favorite books are perfectly respectable and aren't all about sappy romances."

"What about me?"

Erza arrived on the scene, her reading glasses glinting.

Levy and I turned into a bumbling mess. "Uwahaha, we were just talking about how great a couple you and Jellal are!" Levy said.

Erza immediately blushed, turning away and mumbling to herself.

Levy and I shared winks, glad that we had successfully turned her attention away from us.

The class had all settled in by now, but our teacher was not there yet.

The door opened, revealing a model.

Everyone turned to her, eyes wide. We were all absolutely stunned.

"Ohayo, class! Tanaka-sensei is out today, so Master Makarov called me to fill in!" she said, smiling.

"Eh? Mira, why are you here?" Erza asked in astonishment.

Mira's smile became wider. "Oh, hello you three! Well, Master couldn't find any substitutes for today, so I'm filling in!"

"B-but, you're a model," one disbelieving student sputtered.

"Yeah," our other classmates chimed in.

Mira nodded. "Every great person was once a neophyte! I wasn't born a person great at modeling. Everyone has small beginnings, and mine was right here in Magnolia High with Lucy's brother!"

All eyes turned towards me. I shrunk back, not wanting everyone's sudden interest in me.

"Mira, you weren't supposed to say that," I said, sighing.

She winked, tilting her head towards a cute boy diagonal to me.

"Anyway, class, no slacking off. Tanaka-sensei says we'll be working on grammar. Open up your textbooks to page fifty-eight, and let's start with the lesson!"

Class with Mira had been interesting and informative. She made an excellent teacher. Someone had commented on that, and she had explained that she used to tutor.

After three boring classes with my least favorite teachers (it was unfortunate; I had them all in a row), I headed to lunch.

"Hello, Lucy-chan," Juvia said with a smile.

"Hey, Juvia-chan!"

Juvia and I had had a rocky relationship at first. She was a hundred percent sure that I had a crush on Gray, which I definitely did not. After clearing that up with her, I found out that I got along quite well with Juvia.

"So, any progress with Gray so far?" I asked curiously. I was also supporting the two of them. Gray wasn't dense; he knew about Juvia's feelings for him.

It was a matter of time before the two figured things out. Gray was probably too concerned about how strange things would be between Juvia and him if they started dating.

Juvia's shoulders sagged. "No great progress. But Gray-sama needs his time. I will do anything for Gray-sama!"

She pumped her fist into the air, determined.

I laughed at her devotion to Gray. "Yeah, Gray does need time. Don't worry about it, Juvia!"

We quickly sat at the table with the rest of our friends, bentos in hand.

"Natsu, why did you order so much?" Lisanna asked.

Natsu's tray was piled even more with food than it usually was.

"Duh—they're serving rice balls and omelets today," Gray replied, setting down an even bigger tray.

He smirked. "Hey, I got more food than you. Only a real man can eat THIS much."

"You two are wimps. Check this out." Gajeel set down a tray overflowing with food.

Levy squeaked. "Gajeel! It's childish to participate in this!"

Gajeel eyed Levy for a moment before a devilish grin on his face. He grabbed a hold of some of the food on Gray's tray and slowly approached Levy.

Levy shrieked, backing away with her hands before her in a defensive position. "What are you doing?"

"Shortie, I think you should eat more. You're really skinny," he mused.

Levy shot me a desperate look. "Lucy!"

I shrugged. "I'm still mad at you for not telling me," I replied.

"Erza!" Levy cried.

Erza smiled. I knew she wasn't going to beat up Gajeel because she supported them as a couple. In a way, this was a good development.

"Sorry, Levy."

The bluette turned to the others, who all refused.

Gajeel pried a protesting Levy's jaw open, shoving food into her mouth.

"MMMPH!" she cried.

We laughed.

Juvia cooed at the sight, clasping her hands together. "I wish Gray-sama would feed me, too! But not in Gajeel-kun's coarse manner."

Gray reddened, looking away. "H-hey, don't say that! You know that's sorta weird." he said.

Juvia lapsed into silence.

"Um, so, I'm staying with Cana for a couple weeks!" I declared, changing the subject.

"For what reason?" Lisanna asked curiously.

"Mom's away from home on her job," I answered.

Natsu cleared his throat. "Er, ice princess, that reminds me. Can I stay over with you?"

Gray glared. "What did you call me, bastard?"

The two launched into an extremely heated argument, resulting in Jellal trying to keep the two from trading punches.

"Are you two fighting?" Erza questioned in a deadly calm voice, a sinister smile across her face. Immediately, the entire cafeteria went completely silent as every froze. A shiver ran up my spine as I carefully edged away from the scarlet-haired teenager.

Everyone was afraid of the wrath of Erza Scarlet.

"No, ma'am!" Gray and Natsu squeaked, saluting her. They placed their arms around each other. "No, we're best friends! See?" they said desperately.

Erza calmed. "Good," she said before returning to her strawberry cake.

I released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Sweat-dropping, I watched as Erza ate happily, sparkles in her eyes.

"Erza, I think you should lay off them once in awhile. They're stupid boys, anyway," I said lightly.

Erza stood up. "No can do! They must be trained to become real gentleman for their future girlfriends!" she cried. She started a long speech about boys and controlling them to make them better.

Lisanna giggled, whispering, "Sometimes, I wonder if Erza practices these kind of speeches at home."

I laughed. Erza dressed up in a school professor's outfit popped up into my mind.

Lunch ended without any injuries, luckily.

* * *

_Hey Lucy,_

_I see you've decided to take up the manager spot. I'm sure Natsu will thank you. Of course, I'll supporting you along the way. I actually managed some sports teams, so I could possibly aid you._

_Of course I'm going to tell you you're not evil. And it's true. If you asked any of your friends or anyone else, I'm sure they wouldn't call you evil, either._

_Honestly speaking, evil is just a mirage created by the brain, making the person guilty and feel like they must account for their sins. You didn't kill your father. You merely were glad he was dead. That wouldn't be classified as evil by normal people._

_People do not mourn for people like your father._

_Neither should you believe you're a bad person. It's normal to feel like the way you are feeling. I am sure you will someday forgive your father for what he did to you and your family. Don't ever say you're not worth it. You definitely are._

_The weather has been nice lately, but I've always loved rain more. It's just me._

_It's nice to hear your friends becoming couples. Maybe you should find someone out there for you, too?_

_For Cana, it's probably her boyfriend. They're practically made for each other, but they're going through a difficult spot. She tries to pretend, but she might actually want someone to talk to._

_I'm definitely not Laxus, Freed, or Bixlow. Laxus is too protective over you. I admit I'm also protective, but that's because I want the best for you. I hope I'm giving you enough freedom in your decisions, too. Freed is too prim and praises Laxus way too much. Laxus is amazing, and he deserves the praise, but Freed takes the praising to another level. Although I get along with him well, Bixlow is just perverted and disgusting at times._

_I realize that each of them have their own personalities and traits, so please don't take my opinions to heart. I know you love all of them like older brothers._

_I really wish I could join you at this convention, but I can't. It's not that I don't want to meet you; I'm just very busy and the point of these pen-pal e-mails is to keep me a secret._

_Laxus's commanded, you know._

_Good luck and reply soon._

_-SS_

I smiled happily at the new e-mail. He always knew how to keep me positive. I was so happy he was in my life. I really did want to meet him though. I was pretty bummed about not being able to see him at the anime convention.

Laughing at the parts about Laxus, Freed, and Bixlow, I realized it was completely true.

He wasn't any of them, but he didn't say no to being one of Cana's drinking friends. I shuddered. I'd met Macao and Wakaba, and SS definitely didn't sound like them.

I wondered what SS stood for.

"Maybe his initials…" I said aloud.

"Lu-chan, what was that?" Levy asked curiously.

Juvia and LIsanna glanced at me, intrigued. I blushed. "Oh, nothing. Just something about…"

Lisanna laughed. "Let me guess, SS?"

I nodded, turning away to cover my blushing face. "Oh, look, we're here," I said, pointing at a familiar apartment with dazzlingly intricate iron-wrought gates.

"That's right. We'll see you soon, Lucy-chan," Juvia said, smiling.

I nodded and waved at the others as I left.

Punching in the code at the gate, I watched as it slowly swung open for access. I quickly headed to Cana's apartment, taking the key out. She'd given it to me a long time ago after I kept on going to her house to just "chat".

Cana was really understanding. Sometimes, you didn't want someone to talk. You just wanted to rant about whatever you were mad or thrilled about and have them listen. You just wanted someone who would agree with you wholeheartedly. It was always nice to have someone to talk to face-to-face; it was a comfort SS could never give me.

"Hey, it's the kid!"

My jaw dropped.

Bixlow? Freed?

Freed gave me an apologetic look. "I apologize for his bombastic behavior, Heartfilia-san. He's always like this, as you know, and I'm sure you don't appreciate being called a child." He elbowed Bixlow in the ribs.

Freed was a tall and thin man with long, vibrant green hair. He was prim and poised like royalty, but that all went away when the subject came to Laxus. Then, he would become a mushy fangirl, complimenting Laxus. He was also odd, insisting on wearing thick clothing even during warm summers.

Bixlow was...unique. He carried wooden dolls around. Covering up his eyes, he always wore some sort of eye protector. Sometimes he even wore a metal helmet. He was also quite perverted, but Cana never seemed to care about his antics. Bixlow got a tattoo years ago as a dare. Not afraid to back down, he agreed. That was why Bixlow had a pitch black dragon doll on his tongue.

I never understood where his doll obsession came from.

I laughed. "Hey, it's okay. I haven't seen you two forever! And, Freed, please don't call me 'Heartfilia-san'! That's my mom."

Freed stared at me with wide eyes. "B-but, you're Laxus-sama's imouto! I shall at least call you Lucy-san."

Bixlow slung an arm around my shoulder before ruffling my hair. "Eh? You're still wearing those side pony-tails," he said, pulling on it.

I shoved him away with an annoyed grin. In truth, I was happy to be around the two. I hadn't seen them for a long time. Like SS had said, they were like my older brothers.

Hugging the two, I asked, "Where's Cana?"

"She had to help out with something," Freed replied dismissively.

I nodded. Cana was pretty busy.

"So, how have you been?" Freed inquired, smiling brotherly.

"Yeah, what's up with you, cosplayer?"

I rolled my eyes at Bixlow's nickname. I dressed up as a cheerleader one time for a pep rally, and now Bixlow loved to call me that.

"Nothing much. I helped out with the boys' basketball team today after school since their coach isn't there. They're all pretty decent players. I had them do a couple of speed, stamina, and defense drills today." I said, remembering how I had forced them to run around the entire school thirty times.

I snapped my fingers. "Oh, Mira came to teach today. Did she just have some free time today?"

Freed nodded. "Yes. Mira-san was on vacation from her work, but she wanted to help out Master Makarov."

"Oh, I see."

Bixlow and Freed's cell phones pinged at the same time. Both pulled their phones out, examining the message.

They gasped.

"He's back?"

* * *

**I hope that was good. I didn't edit this, so i apologize in advance for any mistakes. Please notify me if there are any. **

**Anyway, that's a wrap! **

**Please review, etc. etc. **

**Thank you, **

**Lying**


	3. Chapter 3

**Stay By My Side**

**A/N: Hello, readers! Sorry about this late update. I wrote this twice, but it disappeared both times (I manually saved it, so I was pretty annoyed). Well, here is the new chapter.**

**Follow me on Instagram at mira_demon for author notes concerning chapters, original drawings, and random FT posts. Two underscores.**

**Thanks. I apologize in advance for late updates. I'm glad you are liking it so far, and please give me any suggestions to improve my writing. I am sorry for the mistakes in the last chapter. There were a lot!**

**Also, if the characters are really out of character, I am very sorry. I tried my best since some of these scenes were quite difficult for me to write.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Sting and Natsu Problems**

"Who's back?" I asked curiously, peering at their phones.

Freed shook his head quickly. "Um, nothing. Just some guy, is all. So, I made dinner. Would you like to eat now?"

I glanced at the two suspiciously. Bixlow's face was serious, not at all like his usual relaxed self.

"All right," I finally answered, heading into the kitchen. I heard them sigh in relief.

Why were they acting so secretive?

"Whatever," I muttered to myself. I would pry into their private business, but it still hurt that they didn't trust me enough.

"When they're ready," I agreed with myself.

Serving myself and the other two, I received an e-mail. I opened my phone, staring at the message.

_Lucy,_

_Please be safe. If anyone suspicious comes, please contact me immediately. Also, I would like it if you stayed around a friend whenever you go somewhere._

_-SS_

I dropped my phone in shock. Someone suspicious?

"This isn't good." The message SS had sent had arrived right after Bixlow and Freed received simultaneous texts.

I spun on my heel and marched towards Freed and Bixlow.

"Look," I commanded, showing them the e-mail from SS.

Bixlow snorted. "So he's already taking extra precautions. All the more reason since he'll be trying to protect you physically now."

I tilted my head. "So you_ do_ know who SS is?"

Bixlow and Freed nodded.

I sighed, munching on the ramen he'd made.

"So, any homework?"

I nodded, sighing. "Yeah. A ton of projects." I replied.

He nodded. "Oh. You better get started, I guess."

I nodded, agreeing. After finishing up my homework, it was already midnight.

Freed and Bixlow had dropped by, checking on me. The guest room was cozy and fit my preferences, but Cana had gone a bit overboard with the guest bathroom, which was covered with fuchsia and lavender.

I yawned, silently walking past Freed and Bixlow's room. They were sound asleep; I could hear Bixlow's loud snores.

Laughing to myself, I grabbed a quick midnight snack. I quickly pulled out some washed strawberries, popping them into my mouth.

SMASH!

"Aw, shit, the drunk is going to murder me tomorrow."

I spun around, stumbling away from the sound of the voice. The voice didn't sound like Bixlow or Freed, but it was male.

"W-who's there?" I stuttered, gripping the closest weapon I could find.

The figure stepped into the low lighting of the kitchen, raking a tan hand through his spiky hair.

I thought he was the most gorgeous guy I'd ever laid my eyes on.

His blond hair stuck out on all sides, giving him a messy and attractive look. It was parted to the left, and a small, jagged scar ran across his forehead, making him look handsomely rugged. His eyes were an attention-drawing sapphire blue, accented by his tan skin. His full, light-colored lips were "totally kissable" in the words of any other girl my age that dabbled in makeup and other superficial dealings. His features were perfectly placed, and he had a strong jaw. A silver earring hung from his left ear.

In all honesty, he could have been a male model.

I loved him the moment I set my eyes on him, as shallow as it sounded, but that stupid love immediately washed away when he opened his mouth to speak.

"No need to be scared, Blondie."

I glared at him. "My name is not Blondie, idiot," I replied, crossing my arms.

He smirked, stalking closer. I gripped my weapon, a pair of scissors, tightly.

"Don't step any closer, stranger," I declared, trying to sound brave. He laughed.

In one smooth motion, his right arm pressed on my wrist and the scissors landed neatly into his other hand. He brought the scissors to my lips, tracing them teasingly.

My breath hitched. I was nervous and scared out of my mind. My wrist was throbbing.

"That's not how you greet an old friend of the drunk," With each word, he calmly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

I was pretty sure my face couldn't get any redder at that moment.

"G-get a-away I'll s-scream," I threatened, trying to twist away.

He leaned back, sneering at me. "I thought an idiot like you would give me more entertainment than that," he said simply, setting the scissors down.

I flushed, once again enraged. "What the hell, you stupid blond monkey! You're insulting me and I don't even know you."

The blonde smiled in a dark, predatory way, his blue eyes darkening and sending shivers down my back.

"Name's Sting Eucliffe. I suppose you'll be callin' me 'coach'."

At that moment, I knew I was dead.

* * *

"Cana, why did you do this?" I asked in exasperation, thinking about the situation with Sting.

The older woman shrugged, chugging down liquid from her flask. "The brat's like a brother to me. I decided to help him out for once. It was the least I could do after..."

She coughed, blinking rapidly. I stared in her in confusion, but I noticed the tears at the corner of her eyes. She didn't cry often, so this had to be big.

"Cana, it's okay if you can't tell me," I said quietly.

She shook her head. "No. It's about my boyfriend, Bacchus. Some irresponsible teenager crashed into him while driving. He's got major brain damaging. Sting has been helping me get through it with his own stupid ways."

I gasped. Cana had truly loved Bacchus. I couldn't even fathom how she felt right now. No wonder she had been so out of it lately. SS had been right. Cana was hurting.

"Cana, I am so sorry! Is there anything you would like me to do? Please, if you ever need someone to rant to, I'll be here."

She rubbed her eyes. "Thanks, Lucy, but right now I'm just tired. I thought seeing all of you kids at the cafe would make me feel better, but it just made me feel even sadder."

She paused, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Lucy. Sting's moving in next door, but it was too late to unpack yesterday, so he just stayed over."

Freed and Bixlow entered the scene. Bixlow was stuffing down some breakfast while Freed was carefully examining his nails. "We'll see you later, Lucy-sama," Freed said.

"You're leaving already?" I asked, disappointed. It had been a while since I had seen my two pretend older brothers.

They nodded. "Yeah, our only job was taking care of you yesterday, Cheerleader. Take care of yourself!"

I quickly embraced both of them as a good-bye before they walked out of the door. Sting lumbered in, yawning.

My jaw dropped. He was dressed only in grey sweatpants. My mouth dried as I stared at him. He was definitely lean and muscular. His back muscles and biceps were especially prominent, rippling against bronze skin whenever he moved. Sweat clung to his skin, beading along each contour of muscle. I continued staring, my eyes constantly drifting from his face to his bare midriff.

Obviously, he had just been exercising.

"Hey, Blondie, you're gonna be late for school," he said.

My eyes widened. "No way! I've only got ten more minutes!"

I rushed into the guest room, throwing on clothes and brushing my teeth and hair. Jamming my books into my backpack, I raced out of the room. "Sting, take her to school!" Cana shouted.

Sting started to protest, but Cana unleashed her ultimate death glare. Sting grumbled, "Annoying old drunk."

He slung me over his back with his keys in hand, still dressed in nothing but sweatpants. I was too annoyed and distracted to protest his carrying me like a potato sack. I just went along with it, slumped over his back like a lifeless doll.

I glared at him, trying hard not to be distracted. I wasn't usually this shallow. It was obviously Sting's fault for flaunting his body.

"Wait, I forgot something," he muttered. I sighed inwardly in relief. He finally realized he needed a shirt!

Instead, he grabbed a pair of dark shades before padding outside to his car wearing socks over shower shoes.

"Typical jock outfit," I muttered to myself.

Sting threw me into the shotgun seat.

That was when I realized what kind of car he drove. It was a bright blue Porsche convertible with beige-colored leather seats of exceptionally high quality. I wasn't much of a car freak, but even I knew this car was not cheap.

"Don't dirty my beauty," he commanded, shoving some magazines into the glove box.

I rolled my eyes, settling inside the car.

Then he drove with heavy metal blasting from the radio.

He sang along, slamming his palms against the wheel as he wildly drove the car around corners. I was literally dying of fright as he drove past the speed limit, turning sharply. He didn't seem to have a care in the world as wind blew past us.

All of a sudden, he pulled to a stop, causing me to slam forwards into my seat belt. I growled, uncomfortable as I rubbed the sore spot on my neck from the seat belt.

I glanced over at him. Why did he have to look so undeniably beautiful without trying?

I, however, was another story. My hair was a complete mess, sticking up in all directions.

I didn't even notice the amount of people gawking at us and the car. "You idiot, you should have driven more responsibly! Look at my hair, baka!" I shouted, grabbing a random magazine and slapping him.

He grunted, defending himself.

"Look, Blondie, you should be thanking me for the ride," he replied casually. Winking, he said, "How about a kiss? You're not exactly cute, but, hey, at least it's something."

I flushed red, both angered and embarrassed by the remark. He was insulting my femininity!

"How dare you!" I screamed. Before I could even get another "Lucy kick" in, he drove away in his sleek car, calling, "See you after school, Blondie!"

I glowered after him.

"Lucy, how do you know Sting Eucliffe?" Gray asked, stunned.

Jellal nodded, his arms crossed. As usual, he was calm and collected, only becoming flustered around Erza. "You two seemed quite close in that display," he commented.

"No, no, you've got it wrong! We're not friends or anything. He's Cana's new neighbor!" I explained.

Lisanna giggled. "I'm almost jealous that you've got someone like that next door. Maybe I'll come over more often."

Levy snickered, nudging Lisanna. "Oh, please. We all know you've got your eyes set on Natsu."

Lisanna blushed, but she didn't deny it.

I raised an eyebrow. "Since when? I didn't know this!"

Erza interrupted, "Speaking of Natsu, where is he?"

All of turned, looking around for him. "Maybe he's sick. Juvia hasn't seen him all morning." Juvia said.

From my peripheral vision, I saw a flash of pink hair. It was Natsu, leaning against the brick wall in the shadows. I started to speak up, but then I noticed his expression. It was dark and angry, like something bad was going on for him.

"Natsu…" I whispered. My heart clenched at the thought of my best friend being in trouble.

"Lu-chan, do you like Eucliffe-san?" Levy asked curiously.

My attention focused on my short, blue-haired friend. When I looked back to where Natsu was before, he was gone.

* * *

"Lucy-chan, you're distracted."

Laki-sensei's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I apologize deeply, Laki-sensei," I replied, bowing.

Laki-sensei crossed her arms. "Lucy-chan, something is wrong. Maybe you should fix your problem. It's better than allowing it to delay any longer."

I hesitated.

Laki-sensei had been my previous teacher. We became fast friends since I was part of the "Creative Writing Magazine Committee". She had been our advisor. I was helping her during my lunch time to organize the mystery genre of creative writing stories.

"Honestly, I don't know what's wrong. Natsu has been acting weird this morning." I answered honestly.

Laki-sensei paused. "You need to talk to him. Go, now," she commanded, adjusting her spectacles.

I was about to protest when Laki deadpanned, "If you don't go now, I'm kicking you off the committee."

I didn't need to be told twice.

Rushing out of the room, I ran to the cafeteria and searched for Natsu. On the way there, I found Natsu in the empty hallways by himself.

"Natsu," I called.

He turned slowly, seeming conflicted.

"Um, what's up, Luce?"

"You've been ignoring me all morning," I said.

Natsu's eyes flicked to mine. Licking his chapped lips, he said, "Sorry. I didn't realize. Oh, I've got to go. See you around."

"No, Natsu, stop." I said forcefully. I had to find out what was wrong with Natsu.

"What is wrong? Can I help? Please?"

His expression flickered into one of distress. There was a world of hurt and pain in them as he stared deeply into my eyes. This was an expression of someone deeply troubled.

"Lucy, that's the problem. If you helped me, it would be worse for you."

"What? Natsu, what do you mean?"

"Because I'm in love with you."

I choked on my own saliva as the words rolled off his tongue. It seemed so natural for him, but my emotions were going haywire.

_What? Is he joking? No way!_

It took me a while to collect my confused and shocked thoughts. When I finally did, I knew the rejection would not be pretty. I loved Natsu, but he was only a friend. An amazing friend that I would trade everything in the world for, but I couldn't give him an empty love. I almost wanted to say, "same here" because of the badly contained hope in his obsidian eyes.

Almost.

"Natsu," I spoke softly, as if not to terrify him.

"Natsu, I would do anything for you, but I don't want you to be unhappy. I can't give you this. You deserve something that isn't fake. I'm not in love with you. I really am sorry. I wish I was if it would make you happy."

He barked a laugh. "And this is? Luce, you've got to be kidding me." His tone of voice was bitter. It jarred me out of my stupor.

"Natsu, stop! You're not acting like yourself. Pull yourself together!" I snapped.

His face cleared.

"Don't make it sound like you care for me. It makes it hurt worse."

He turned away, too fast for me. I grasped for him, not wanting him to leave. All I got was air.

* * *

Natsu showed up for basketball practice after school. I knew, no matter how much he hated me, he wouldn't skip something so important to him.

"Everyone, get into stretches. Natsu, I want to talk to you."

"Manager, that isn't a good idea," he said seriously.

My anger flared. He was being so immature about it. I was hurting to, but I wasn't ignoring him! I was trying my best to make the situation better.

"Natsu, locker room, now!" I thundered brusquely.

The gym was silent as he marched obediently into the locker room.

I took a moment to assess the rest of the team. "Keep it up."

I walked in after Natsu and locked the door behind us. As if to prevent him from escaping, I relaxed against the door's flat surface.

"It's too early to be talking about this. I know you don't like me. That doesn't mean you're not still my best friend. That doesn't mean I care for you and that I want you to be safe." he explained carefully.

Automatically, tears escaped my eyes. I surged forwards, bringing my best friend into a hug. "Natsu, promise me you'll be my friend again. I'll give you your time."

He sighed heavily. "Thank you, Luce. I'm glad we sorted that out, but for now, I'm staying as far away from you as possible."

He gave me a half-smile before walking out of the locker room, saluting me.

I smiled to myself. I would never lose Natsu. We had been through too much together to ever lose our friendship.

Even if it was awkward now, we would somehow become good friends again.

I walked out after him, feeling like a huge burden had been lifted off of my shoulders. A world without Natsu was definitely not a good one.

"So this is the team, huh?"

All eyes turned to the man at the entrance. I clenched my teeth. I had completely forgotten exactly who our coach was.

Sting was dressed in casual clothes—black high-tops, a sleeveless hoodie on top of a white shirt, dark blue basketball shorts, and his signature earring look. At least he was wearing clothes.

There was a leer on his lips as he tugged on his cigarette. I saw a flash of pearly white teeth. His eyebrows tilted upwards, looking like he was seeing something funny.

Then it dawned on me. He was mocking the basketball team.

I was outraged. Was he really making a joke out of his new team?

I had been handling practice as the basketball manager. I was already proud of their improvements in the short time period allotted.

And here was the new coach, laughing at us as if we were a flock of circus clowns.

I took the insult to heart.

Stepping forwards, I smiled coolly. "Welcome to Magnolia Academy, Eucliffe-san." I paused, smiling ever-so sweetly. I was boiling with hatred. Sure, I could deal with it if he was teasing and insulting me, but degrading the team? I couldn't let him do that. Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Jellal, and the others deserved so much more.

I would rant about this for eternity to SS. Inwardly, I face-palmed. I had forgotten to message him!

"These are the subjects who would like to try out for the team. We're hoping you'll bring us to victory this year," I continued, giving him a direct challenge. If we didn't win, I was indirectly accusing him of being completely at fault.

Sting finally focused his blue eyes on me. They were annoyed.

He slowly plucked the cigarette out of his lips, shooting it into the trash can six feet away without even glancing back. My eyes widened a fraction of an inch as it made it in perfectly with a soft clunk.

"Of course. Petty little high-school students with petty little dreams. Why am I not surprised? And, you? You're the little damsel-in-distress having all of the guys saving you." he said. He didn't say it in a taunting way; he said it like it was a fact.

"What was it again? 'Get away, I'll scream'." he imitated me, speaking in a tremulous falsetto, referring back to our first encounter. It was like he was a completely different person. The Sting in the morning hadn't been so harsh on me. This one wanted to destroy me.

My mouth dropped open as my face burned with anger and embarrassment.

"Hey, who are you—" Natsu and Gray simultaneously stepped forwards to defend me.

I stopped them with a hand before staring straight into Sting's cold eyes.

"Of course. I'm nothing but a stupid girl who knows nothing. That's my place, isn't it? And, yet, I'm the one who's taking responsibility of the team. I've been making their training menus while you were absent." I replied, smiling darkly.

Sting stared at me with an unreadable look. Something flashed through his eyes—it wasn't anger or pain or disappointment.

No, he was amused.

This made me angrier, and I got even angrier when he swept past me like nothing had happened.

"I want you all to line up. Tryouts start now and I don't want any wimps. Training's gonna be hard, so if any of you want to back out, do it now." Sting said, grabbing a basketball from the cart.

No one piped up, wanting to quit.

Sting smirked, his blue eyes darkening. For some reason, every time he smirked, chills ran up my back like a bad omen. "Have it your way. I assume you've already stretched and warmed-up. Everyone on the baseline on my left. Twenty suicides. On my mark, go. Hey, manager-san, why don't you come here and tell me your gathered data if you're oh-so-brilliant," he commanded.

I gritted my teeth. Why had I agreed to become manager?

"Of course, Eucliffe-san," I replied, a forced smile on my face. _For the team. For the team!_

I chanted to myself, telling myself to be strong and just deal with his majesty's obnoxiousness.

I walked over, talking about key strengths and weak points of all of the members trying out.

"Looking at the data, I can already assume that our team will be a lot stronger than last year. Most of them are a little weak on defense, though. They're all reckless sophomores since last year's team decided to give up, even when the principal decided to bring you in. I've already calculated our best combinations, partnering, and starters. Our core center will be Gajeel. Jellal's a good shooting guard; he's definitely got his own skills up his sleeve. He can shoot pretty much anywhere, and his accuracy's pretty high. Dribbling needs some work. Natsu's a good power forward. He's really strong, and he brings in the points when needed. He can pretty much shoot from anywhere inside the paint, but his three-pointers are only four out of ten. Gray is a very intuitive point guard. You'll see what I mean later. He's also adept at passing. He can also shoot, but his side shots need work. Loke is a good small forward. He's quick and has excellent ball control. That should be our starting five. Most of the rest have good basic skills, but they need to be fine-tuned. I didn't catch anyone else particularly promising. Here's the rest of the data for the team. They're all doing very well, but you might want to work on stamina with them."

I took a deep breath, finally finishing.

Sting nodded, almost serious, as he examined my notes and training suggestions. I also had scribbled down a few specific notes on various teams throughout our district.

He continued to survey his new team, watching them finally finish their laps.

They were all panting by the time they were finished. "I see what you mean by needing to work on stamina," he said, staring at the group. I nodded.

"This group will need some work. They're Makarov's brats, so they'll pull through, though."

He thought for a moment. "Let's have a full-court game," he announced before separating them into teams.

My eyes widened in confusion. "Wait, no shooting tests? No dribbling practices? You didn't even analyze all of the players yourself, Eucliffe-san," I said, disapproval clear in my voice.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Look, I'm not a star player just because of my skills on-court. I may not look it, but I've been a training coach since I was young. I only need to see them play for five minutes, and I'll show you how an expert analyzes."

He smirked at me. "No need to worry, Blondie."

My eye twitched. There it was again. That personality switch.

I glared. "Go die, Eucliffe," I grumbled angrily before stomping away with my notes.

"Poor Blondie's upset, eh?" he asked, laughing loudly. I shot him another nasty look, pissed at how relaxed he was.

"You're blonde, too! I hope you grow wrinkly and die," I shouted back.

He rolled his eyes, unfazed my remark. I glanced at him suspiciously as I sat on the bleachers. From critical and just plain rudeness to light teasing.

What was he up to?

I turned my attention to the on-going game, taking notes.

"Number Five on the green team," I noted to myself, "Excellent ball-handling skills and not a bad shooter. He's also probably the strongest defender. Could be a starter."

I tilted my head. Maybe Sting was right. Sometimes, games brought out a person's true abilities better than any kind of basketball exercise. Especially when a player reacted to the gravity of a situation in a game.

I gazed at another player on court who had caught my attention.

"Number six on the red team. I think his name is Akira. Good offensive player with exceptional passing."

I smiled lightly to myself. Compared to last year's team, this one had many well-rounded players in the basics. Of course, they weren't as good as a district-topping team, but they could if they built on their skills.

Quickling putting down possible training options, I was completely unaware of the person next to me.

"Hey, Blondie, I've got a full analysis on all of the players here. I've got work to do with these guys." he said.

I glanced at him. His eyebrows were scrunched together in deep concentration.

"You're taking this very seriously," I commented cautiously.

He stood up, walking away. "If I wasn't serious about this, I wouldn't be worthy of calling myself a training coach. Every minute I'm training them counts. That's why I can't condone slackers."

I stared in awe at him. Maybe I was wrong. Sting wasn't completely a bad boy player-type.

"Okay, that's a wrap! We're going to play a full game. Keep the teams. Little Miss Manager will be leading one team against my team. Manager, which team would you like?" he asked.

I snapped out of my shock. I surveyed my notes and the players. Normally, I liked to develop strategies while watching an opponent play.

"You know, I'm going to just pick the red team." My eyes flicked to Natsu, who was on the other team. A message was exchanged.

"Great, I've got green team. Green, over here!"

Sting jogged to the opposite side of the gym, and he sat down, talking to them.

I grabbed my notes, waving at my team.

"Okay, minna, I want you to do your best. I know you're tired, so I'll try subbing all of you in continuously," I said.

With that, I brought out a diagram of the court.

"Jellal, Loke-san, Akira-san, Katsu-san, and Ryo-san. You will be our starters. Jellal and Loke, your regular positions. I want Akira-san as an offensive center, please. Katsu-san and Ryo-san, you will be supporting players. But if it's in your shooting range and you're open, I want you to shoot. Passing will be key here. 2-3 zone defense, stick to your zones. Watch out for Gajeel. Keep him outside of the point. He's not a great shooter there. I think they'll use a 3-2 zone defense or just stick to man-to-man. Mainly because they don't want Jellal shooting outside. Check my notes out. Remember, your defense isn't great. Stick to the zones. I don't want to play man-to-man yet."

They nodded as I went over the other team's weaknesses.

"Ready, go!"

The whistle was blown.

Gajeel got the ball. He was one of our tallest basketball players, which put my team on a bit of a disadvantage.

Akira swept in and stole the ball, tossing it over to Jellal. The blue-haired teen rushed down the court, but he was stopped by Natsu.

Natsu grabbed the ball, passing it to Gray.

The game continued. I was quite frustrated. Sting had given them the ultimate strategy, and it seemed they knew every little thing that one of my players would do.

At the end of the game, the score was 35-53 in Sting's team's favor.

"Great job, guys. We'll work on it this week. You all did excellent. I've seen huge improvements." I said. My team seemed kind of down to have lost. I was confused. How had Sting done it?

All of them shuffled into the locker room, sweaty and tired.

"So, Blondie. Now you know exactly what I can do," Sting said, smirking.

I snorted dismissively. "Oh, please. Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel are all star players. You had no part in the victory." I lied.

Sting raised an eyebrow. "Really. Even you know I was the one who created the strategy to stop your team."

The basketball team left after finding out that the tryout results would be posted later in the week.

Sting and I were the only ones left.

"I'm walking home," I said, waving.

Sting flinched.

"Stop," he cried. I stilled, surprised at his tone of voice.

"I'm taking you home," he said softly, leading me to his car. I gulped.

"Wait a minute, I'm perfectly fine! I don't need you to!" I said, wiggling out of his grasp.

Sting's eyes flashed as he clenched his jaw. "You're a really stupid girl. Don't you think someone will be worried about you if they found out you were walking home by yourself? Have you ever thought about the dangers?"

I thought of SS and his message.

"You're right," I muttered, hopping into his car. In truth, I thought he was making assumptions. The sun was still out. Well, it would save me from having to walk home.

Sting grunted. "Of course I am."

We drove home in silence.

I quickly e-mailed SS.

_SS,_

_I promise to be safe. Do you know Sting Eucliffe? If you have any information, please tell me. You see, I've been around him a lot lately. I want to keep my promise, so I won't do anything irrational. Cana-chan trusts him, but I want to make sure._

_Sorry for bothering you, and sorry for not messaging you sooner. I'll message you about my day later._

_Thank you!_

_Sincerely,_

_Lucy_

I sent the message. Moments later, I heard a soft ping.

I glanced at my phone, but it wasn't mine.

"Eh?" Sting pulled his phone out. I gaped.

How?

Was he SS?

I dismissed the thought. It was just a coincidence.

"It's the drunk," Sting announced.

I laughed, taunting, "People actually e-mail you?"

Sting glared.

We began to bicker, annoying the hell out of each other.

In that moment, I could imagine Sting being SS. Just maybe.

* * *

**Ahem. If there are mistakes, please notify me. I didn't edit this very carefully. **

**Thank you for reading. I hope you are all having an excellent day! **

**I understand how Sting and Lucy acted so OOC. Natsu was very OOC, too. I wasn't sure how to capture their personalities, especially since this is a big blow on Natsu. **

**Being rejected by your best friend...it would hurt majorly, right? You wouldn't act the way you did. **

**Also, about Sting's weird changes: I wasn't sure how to make Lucy pissed at Sting without making him a complete jerk. He wasn't a complete douche at first, but then I made him one. The StiCy will be coming along.  
**

**Is the story going too fast? **

**I also apologize. I love Natsu and NaLu, so I was pretty mad at myself for hurting him. I think the whole situation was rather cliche. Of course, I'm trying to do better. **

**-LyingRavenEyes  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Stay By My Side**

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating lately. School has started, and you know how busy it gets! Well, here's the new chapter. It might be a bit shorter than what I wrote last time. Thanks for all the lovely reviews. You're all very loyal, and I look forward to reading your opinions. **

**Yes, this was modeled after Dengeki Daisy, but I tried to twist it so it wasn't completely the same. I really don't want to steal any more of the manga author's amazing story. **

**Oh, and just a heads up, Rogue is coming! Hope you guys are happy about that!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: My Babysitter**

"Lucy, please wake up! You've been lying in bed the entire morning."

Cana knocked on my door impatiently, dressed in formal business clothing. Her curly brown hair was tossed into a bun today.

"Cana, it's only eight!" I groaned, covering my ears with a violet pillow. As per usual, I was dragging out the time I got to sleep on the weekends.

As a reply, she burst into the room and yanked the blanket off of me. I screeched, my eyes still shut. "Cana!" I complained.

"Wait, let me handle this," another voice decided. Sting. My nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Stop right there, pervert," Cana commanded. Apparently, he clamped his mouth shut since he stopped talking in that annoying way of his.

"Lucy, if you don't wake up now, you won't get vanilla ice cream," Cana threatened.

I sat up immediately, not wanting my vanilla ice cream to be taken away.

Sting snorted. "Damn, no wonder you're getting so fat. What with all of that ice cream," he commented.

I sat up, gritting my teeth. He was so disrespectful and annoying! "Baka!"

Cana clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Sting's right for once. You're really skinny now, but if you keep up with that diet, you'll be in trouble," she said in a parental tone of voice. I groaned. When Cana actually acted stern and less like her laid-back self, she was feeling stressed.

"Anyway, I'll be gone until supposedly midnight. I've got extra work today. I also want to try to visit Bacchus today. So, Sting will be taking care of you today."

I gasped. "Cana! How can you leave me with a pervert like him! That's so mean," I pantomimed sobbing, begging her to reconsider. I was appalled by the idea of being babysat by Sting. He was the exact opposite of responsible and mature.

Sting snorted. "Hey, I'm not always a weird pervert."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sure."

Cana laughed. "Hey, Lucy, you can actually trust Sting. But, if you need help, just give Mira a call."

I nodded, sighing. I didn't trust Sting. It wasn't that I was afraid of him; I was only wary of his presence.

"Have a good day, Cana," I said, closing the front door behind her.

She winked, fluttering her fingers.

Sting collapsed on the couch. I was about to march off, preparing to write my usual morning e-mail to SS when Sting stopped me. Maybe I could send him a new chapter of my latest novel. SS was the only one other than Levy who was allowed to read my stories.

"Hey, Blondie, can you help me with basketball stuff?"

I was about to reply with a blunt "no". Then I realized I could possibly figure out how Sting played and coached basketball. I had to admit that he excelled in everything concerning basketball. If it could help my skills, I would deal with having to hang around Sting.

"Sure," I grunted, sitting down next to him.

Sting passed me a packet of lined papers. Handwriting crossed and zig-zagged across the paper. His handwriting wasn't remarkably special, but I wished he would write my name in his bold handwriting. It would look nice.

On a whim, I lightly traced his letters.

_Snap out of it, Lucy!_

"Hey, what are these?" I wondered.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Oh, just notes. From my old games."

"How will this help me?"

The blonde smirked. "Now it's your job to take notes during our games."

I huffed. "I was planning on it anyway. Don't worry, I'm not a slacker." I rolled my eyes, already annoyed by his arrogant behavior.

His notes were careful and full of intent. Everything was clear and concise.

I added that to my mental list of "things I learn about Sting everyday".

As I looked over his notes, he read a textbook. "I'm surprised Sting Eucliffe actually studies," I mocked.

Sting fiddled with his pencil, twirling it between his fingers. "Well, yeah. Now I do. I used to just copy off of Rufus and Orga. Even Dorbengal. But Rogue-"

He stopped in mid-sentence, dropping his pencil, seeming absolutely stunned.

I glanced at him, expecting him to finish his sentence. "Yeah? And?" I asked curiously. Who was this Rogue character that seemed to render him speechless?

Sting cleared his throat, his eyes clouding with sentiment. "Oh, nothing. Um, Rogue and I…we just had a falling out. We're not friends anymore."

His expression cleared, smiling with feigned cheerfulness at me.

"So, what's with the weird goth attire today?"

I studied him warily. Perhaps Rogue was an old enemy that was out to get him. Vaguely, I remembered hearing the name "Rogue" from somewhere. I would have to ask one of my friends about it later. There was an important connection between Sting and Rogue; I just had to find it.

"Oh, it's just some old stuff of Mira's. All of my stuff is at home or in the washing machine. I was planning on going home to get some stuff soon. Besides, Cana's stuff doesn't really fit me."

Sting nodded, agreeing. Cana's normal attire wasn't very appropriate for someone age. "Yeah, the drunk shows off too much skin. But your outfit isn't exactly modest, either."

I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a purple tube top, ripped skinny jeans, and a leather jacket. Shrugging, I answered, "It's better than just a black bra and a super short skirt."

He nodded again.

He seemed subdued and quiet, less like his obnoxious self. His eyes were veiled, and he was staring down at his hands. I hesitated, about to ask him what was wrong.

It had to be about that Rogue guy.

_Gray,_

_Hey. Do you know who "Rogue" is? Sting mentioned him once...but I've got no idea who he is._

_Thanks,_

_Lucy_

The day went by without a hitch. Sting was much quieter, and I found myself wondering about his life and who he was. Did he have secrets? If so, what were they? I didn't know much about Sting, but it seemed SS knew plenty about the older people around me. Laxus's friends were all shrouded in mystery to me.

The thought made my question my older brother. Was he hiding something? I was sure working at a job in a foreign country wasn't that time-consuming. After all, Laxus didn't even have time to visit us.

Sting and I ate quietly in the living room, occasionally laughing at the show that was on.

"Hey, Sting," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

I blew my bangs out of my face. "Sting, can you snap out of it? You're acting so different."

He shook his head. "Look, I'm-"

My cell phone pinged. I flipped it open, staring.

_Lucy,_

_Do you think I can go over to Cana's today? My parents are fighting again._

_-Levy_

I winced. Poor Levy. Her parents had been arguing lately. I knew it really hurt Levy. She tried to conceal her own feelings, but it was obviously tearing her apart. She'd always praised her parents as the perfect example of true love.

Now, she was scoffing at that idea.

It pained me to see someone as innocent and good-hearted as her to have such a terrible situation.

_Levy-chan,_

_Of course. You don't even have to ask. We should talk._

_Yours,_

_Lucy_

I glanced up, standing. "Sting, can Levy come over?"

Sting raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

"Um, she doesn't want to stay home. She's got bad stuff going on."

He stared at me for a moment before laughing hysterically. "Bad stuff, she says."

I flushed in anger. "What? Why are you laughing?" Maybe I was overreacting, but I couldn't imagine how cruel someone must be to laugh at poor Levy-chan's situation.

"What is your problem? What kind of sadistic asshole are you?" I demanded, placing my hands on my hips. I was just mad. People like Levy didn't deserve this kind of treatment.

He snickered. "Look, do you think I care about what goes on with your little friends? Their problems aren't even half as shitty as mine."

In those seconds, I lost my head. Everything from my first meeting with Sting to now rose to the surface, flashing through my head like angry traffic lights. They buzzed, containing every single one of my thoughts, controlling every cell of my body. I normally didn't yell at anyone, but I couldn't even breathe as I screamed out to my heart's content.

As soon as I finished, I stormed outside, flinging the door closed with a flick of my wrist.

Calling Levy up, I proposed going to the bookstore cafe. It was a calming place that both Levy and I loved. The bluenette agreed.

"Lucy?" Levy murmured quietly, as if she didn't want to scare me.

"Hey," I replied.

We walked silently the rest of the way to the cafe, deep in thought.

"Lucy-chan, maybe they separate," Levy suggested hollowly, her eyes dull. Tears clung to her eyelashes, threatening to fall from her usually bright eyes. A dead look shown from her eyes. She was conflicted and helpless.

My chest tightened. How could anyone-even Sting-belittle her problems? She was in jeopardy of having her life completely thrown out of balance.

And she couldn't even do anything about it.

I wanted to help her, but what was I supposed to do?

"Okay, let's go grab a smoothie. You can rant all about it to me in the lounge."

Levy sent me a wobbly smile to show her gratitude, embracing me. "Lucy," she sobbed almost inaudibly. "I wish the world could swallow me up and make me disappear."

I shifted nervously, trying to stay strong as I patted the shorter girl's back. Those had been my exact thoughts when my birth father had been around, abusing my mother.

A sob escaped my own throat at the bad memories. My father, though dead, still had an overwhelming presence in my mind. He made me just want to cry. He had been so inhuman, an alien and completely devoid of emotions.

"Lucy?" Levy questioned.

I shook my head, biting my lip to keep from crying.

"Levy, I'm going to ask SS for advice, all right? I won't say it's you."

She nodded silently. We finally reached our destination and at down, smoothies in hand.

I e-mailed SS about our dilemma. "Alright. Levy, just talk to me."

She kept her mouth shut tight, hesitant to say anything. Her expression was closed off, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Lucy, I trust you more than anyone. I know you won't tell anyone, but I'm afraid."

I sighed, lost. I didn't know how to comfort others. Before, I could get away with listening to Levy and putting in a few simple, loving words.

I knew what Levy wanted to hear.

And right now, those words would be lies.

"I'm so sorry, Levy. I wish I could make everything better for you. I really do. But I can't. All you can do right now is hope for the best. Right now is just an event in your life that I swear you will get through. Please stay with me, okay?"

Levy nodded mutely.

"Lu-chan...thank you."

I smiled. "Of course, Levy. And if you ever need anyone else, you can see any of the others. I'm sure Gajeel wouldn't mind giving you some support." I winked at her, trying to lighten the mood. Levy stuck her tongue out at me half-heartedly. I knew her mind was still on her parents.

Levy took a deep breath, her hands tightening around her smoothie. "You know, maybe it would be best if they split. I will respect their decision as best as I can, but that won't mean I will be happy about it. I'm worried I won't be able to see my mom or my dad. I want to be able to see their faces every day. I want to know that they're there for me."

"Levy, they are there for you. If they separate, you can always see them. One or the other won't just disappear off the face of the Earth just because they've separated." I used my best supporting-best-friend voice, hoping it would successfully work.

Her eyes softened. "Lucy, if you ever need, I'll be there." She seemed so determined and strong despite her small stature.

Guilt formed. Levy trusted me so much, but I was hiding so much from her. None of my friends knew the truth about my father. Not even Natsu.

"You and Natsu will be the first I tell if something comes up," I replied, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Levy grinned. "Good."

My phone pinged.

Lighting up, I snapped my phone open. It was SS

_Dear Lucy,_

_Hey, look. It breaks my heart to see you so upset over this. And I get it. Your personality is just like that._

_Tell her life changes. Don't tell her any lies. You have to be there for her. I know that that's pretty obvious, but sometimes it's hard to execute. Life is always hard._

_Share something hard for you. I understand you haven't told any of your friends about what truly happened with your dad. Make her feel better with a bad experience. It can be anything._

_Make her feel safe and happy around you. You're not her counselor, you're her best be normal and fun as much as you can._

_Hope I helped you. I'm not that great with comforting._

_If anything else has been bothering you, just e-mail me again._

_Yours,_

_SS_

A warm feeling settled in my stomach. "Thank you…"

I took his advice to heart.

And it worked.

* * *

Reluctantly, I walked home where Sting was. It was getting dark outside, but I wasn't completely worried about stalkers or something. Laxus and Erza had taught me some self-defense, so I wasn't completely helpless. Still, I wasn't safe, and I had to get home as soon as possible.

Levy called me, telling me she had gotten home safely.

Once I received her call, I sprinted the rest of the way home.

I rounded the last corner. The street light glowed dimly. I squinted through the darkness, trying to locate Cana's apartment.

"I hope-"

My voice was cut off as a callous hand wrapped around my mouth before an arm wrapped around my throat. I screamed, panic rising to the surface. Blood pounded through my ears.

"Well done. Let's move, now."

Thoughts whirled through my mind as I choked for air, clawing. It was all so terrible, so fast. I couldn't breathe!

Through some bit of sanity, I elbowed my captor in the stomach before kicking him in the crotch. He groaned In pain, doubling over. The sound didn't even reach my ears as I rushed forwards, stumbling away from the other kidnappers.

"Run!" I told myself, commanding my body to move. Unfortunately, I was breaking down. My entire throat hurt. My body couldn't help the pain as my lungs rose and fell, trying and failing to catch a breath of air through my bruised windpipe.

One of them snickered. "Wow, she got you good." He hauled me onto my feet, an iron fist around my arm.

The one I had kneed stood up, breathing heavily. "What a bitch. I hope I get to kill this one."

The first one protested. "But she's a lovely thing. Worth more for other uses."

Tears sprung from my eyes. I was so helpless! I could only shudder at the things to come. Someone...

Suddenly, I flew through the air until I fell on cement. A sharp crack noise filled the air. Pain shot up my leg, vibrating through every nerve of my body.

"Oops," I heard someone say faintly in a mocking tone. Four shadows loomed over me, giving their own comments on my vulnerable state.

I began to feel my body giving way to the agony.

_Someone...save me..._

The last thing I heard was an angry scream of rage.

* * *

I blinked.

Squinting at the bright lights around, I groggily wondered where I was.

As my eyes adjusted, I noticed a slumbering figure next to me. My mouth opened in in a soundless gasp.

"Sting..."

His blond hair was ruffled, a hand tightly clasped around the bed sheet. Fresh tears were streaming down his face. It seemed like he had been crying all night.

"Sting, are you okay?"

He awoke immediately, his hand closing around my fingers. "Lucy," he sighed in relief. It scared me how many tears were still streaming steadily.

"I am so sorry, Lucy. I didn't save you early enough. I-I can't believe myself. I am so sorry, Lucy..."

His shoulders shook with grief. I froze as I remembered what had happened before I passed out.

"How-?"

"I found you unconscious on the cement. Some goons were trying to take you away. I beat them up. Luckily, they didn't do...anything else to you."

He looked away, his eyes filled with hatred.

I was stunned. This was the guy who hated me, ridiculed me. But he was my savior.

"No. Sting. I'm lucky you got there when you did. Thank you so much. I don't know how to tell you how much it means to me. Please stop crying. It's not even your fault. You didn't do anything. Without you, who knows what would have happened to me. Thank you...Sting."

He looked away.

"Hey," I said, grinning slightly. "Since when did you become such a big baby?"

I hugged him, careful not to hurt myself. "Look, I owe you, okay? I'm really grateful that you saved me." I said, shooting him a wide smile. I _was_ grateful. Without, I'd probably be in a ditch or something.

Sting chuckled. "Fine. You can take me to coffee or something another day. For now, the doctor wants you to rest." he said gently. He patted my head lightly. I stared at him in surprise.

"Wha-what are you doing, pervert?" I stuttered, blushing.

He winked, standing up. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go call Cana about your condition, okay?"

My eyes widened. "She doesn't know what happened?"

Sting shook his head. "No. She's been quite overwhelmed. A while ago, she text-messaged me about visiting Bacchus. He...he didn't make it, Lucy. She's really upset. It's causing her a lot of pain. I didn't want to spring your incident on her immediately, too."

I gasped. Dead?

I could only imagine how distraught Cana was feeling. "I-I..."

My lower lip trembled. I felt emotionally and physically tired. "Just go ahead. I get how hard it's been for you." Sting murmured.

I started wailing. I was so lucky to be alive. I was so lucky that I had Sting. Cana, however, had no one right now. Her boyfriend just died, someone she genuinely cared about. As I slowly recalled just how close I had been to being kidnapped, everything dropped onto me like a huge stone, a burden.

Sting dropped a towel on my head, muffling my sobs. He didn't have to say anything. I knew, in his own way, Sting cared for me.

"Arigatou...Sting..."

* * *

Cana ignored yet another text. She would have answered, but she wasn't in the mood for anything. Especially not her boss's shit. Downing another shot, she glanced at the swimming screen of her iPhone.

_Yep, I'm officially drunk. _

She could usually hold her liquor down pretty well, but today was an exception. She didn't even care how drunk she got at this point, as long as it made her pain wash away. Bacchus was dead. He would never come back. He would never share another drink with her. He'd never laugh with her again. He'd never complain about annoying girls again.

Bacchus. Was. Gone.

_I want to forget. Just forget. _

The brown-haired woman relaxed, slumping over the bar table. "Ten more, please," she slurred, calling over the bartender. The man nodded in reply.

"You're drinking an awful lot today."

Cana turned sluggishly.

She almost didn't recognize the tall, ruby-eyed man before her. He exuded an aura of power, channeled through his urbane clothing too sophisticated for this shabby, no-name bar. His dark hair covered one side of his face, and a single white streak ran through it.

She choked on her saliva. Wasn't he dead? He...should have been dead. She'd seen his ashes being buried in his family's graveyard. Were her eyes deceiving her? Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the figure. He stood tall and proud.

"Rogue."

The man's full lips curled into a dark smile. "Glad you can still think, Cana."

* * *

**Whoo! That's all done, and I'm hoping I can get another chapter in soon. I actually just started righting my own novel, and I'm actually putting real effort into it! All of my previous ones have crashed and burned as ideas. **

**Please review. For all you RoLu fans, there will be something in store for you guys later. **

**Also, I'm so sorry for killing Bacchus. If possible, should I bring another person for Cana? **

**What do you guys think? **

**Thanks, as always, for the reviews! And please check my mistakes, etc. etc. **

**Love, **

**Aria**


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